1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a charcoal lighter fluid compound. More specifically, the present invention relates to a biodiesel/accelerant mixture that provides an environmentally friendly lighter fluid that does not produce noxious odors or large quantities of volatile organic compounds in proximity to food preparation areas.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A popular warm weather activity is grilling food outdoors. Common methods for creating a heat source to prepare food on a grill includes gas, charcoal, electric heat or wood pellets. Use of charcoal often requires a secondary ignition agent for igniting its slow burning composition and bringing it up to temperature prior to cooking food. Lighter fluid, an aliphatic petroleum solvent, is a common choice of ignition agent, which is a low flashpoint mixture that is very useful for initiating and maintaining a flame over charcoal.
Use of traditional lighter fluid is not without its drawbacks. Charcoal lighter fluids emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the atmosphere through evaporation and through the burning of fluid soaked charcoal. VOCs are harmful toxins that contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone when mixed with other pollutants in sunlight, which can cause serious short-term and long-term health problems. The high vapor pressure of most VOCs means that these compounds are easily evaporative and rapidly enter the atmosphere when sprayed over charcoal.
In 1990, the EPA released a study stating that lighter fluid releases a considerable amount of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) into the air. In the study, the EPA estimated that 14,500 tons of VOCs are released annually in the U.S. from charcoal lighter fluid alone, with an environmental impact equivalent to the hydrocarbon emissions from 375,000 passenger cars. Areas such as southern California have imposed tighter regulations on charcoal lighter fluids and Kansas City has held events to discourage their use. Many local governments are legally implementing a change from lighter fluids to cleaner alternatives, while many companies have created alternative products to preemptively solve these concerns involving lighter fluid use and VOCs emissions.
The use of traditional lighter fluid in proximity to consumable food is a public health concern and a controversial topic, as the fluid is petroleum based and highly carcinogenic. When cooking food using charcoal briquettes soaked in lighter fluid, a risk of leaving a residue of toxic chemicals on food is introduced. The lighter fluid eventually burns off from the charcoal, but this may take upwards of 30 minutes to ash the charcoal and burn off all petroleum emissions in order to avoid leaving a foul taste and odor on food. If adequate time is not provided to burn the lighter fluid from the charcoal, the aroma of lighter fluid is often noticeable to consumers from an olfactory and taste perspective.
Therefore a need arises in the art for an alternative lighter fluid mixture, one that takes the place of traditional lighter fluid compounds, one in which does not introduce potentially harmful byproducts into a food preparation area, and one that is environmentally conscious. The alternative fluid must contain a compound with an adequate flash point such that ignition is easily achieved, and one that can generate the required heat and burn time required to ignite solid carbonaceous and wood fuels.
Several compounds and devices have been disclosed in the prior art for lighting charcoal using alternative means. U.S. Pat. No. 5,252,107 to Wilkins, Jr. discloses an environmentally safe fluid for the ignition of charcoals, comprising liquid terpenes and mixtures thereof. While this patent provides an environmentally conscious alternative to traditional lighter fluid, no mention is made of utilizing biodiesel combined in a mixture with an accelerant to provide adequate lighting fluid over charcoal.
U.S. Published Patent Application, Publication No. 2011/0008507 to Moe describes a biodiesel/n-butanol lighter fluid mixture that is an alternative to traditional lighter fluid compositions. The Moe disclosure utilizes this alternative compound to light charcoal, without the drawbacks of traditional lighter fluid emissions and VOCs. However, the mixture does not make reference to the use of ethanol in any combination with methyl-ester, ethyl-ester or propyl-ester fatty acid biodiesel. In this manner, the present invention diverges in composition from the Wilkins, Jr. and Moe patents.
Devices disclosed in the prior art for lighting firewood and charcoal include U.S. Pat. No. 5,626,636 to Carter and U.S. Pat. No. 5,374,289 Campana. The Carter patent describes a combustible bag having an inner and outer liner for igniting charcoal while the Campana patent describes a cardboard igniting container that does not include petroleum distillates for igniting charcoal. Both of these patents are useful for lighting charcoal without using a petroleum-based lighter fluid, but both fail to provide an igniting fluid alternative that provides the same capabilities as lighter fluid without its drawbacks, as the present invention discloses.
In this regard, the present invention provides a new and unique lighter fluid mixture for the purposes of igniting charcoal. The disclosed mixture is not petroleum based, is a renewable, eco-friendly alternative, and does not introduce the extent of unburned hydrocarbons or volatile organic compounds into the atmosphere and around consumable food products. The present invention is derived from a renewable and sustainable source of energy, and is therefore more environmentally responsible, while still maintaining at least equivalent utility with respect to traditional lighter fluid when igniting charcoal briquettes.